Old Conductor, Possessed Anew
Chapter 2
Regret came instantly as my senses and thoughts were overwhelmed. Upon flicking the mental switch, I had been hit by a cacophony of stored data, incoming information, and multiple sources of sight and sound. While I likely would've adapted given a bit more time of exposure, or preparing myself before flicking the switch, as it was I reared back in shock and panic.
Mentally flailing, I quickly find the mental switch and turn it back off- the black void embracing me once again. Panting, if due to shock and exertion and not due to a need of oxygen, I give myself a few seconds before sitting up.
Getting myself back under control, I think back to what information that had been downloaded into my mind, and that wasn't exactly a metaphor. A lot of it was barely comprehensible if that- either corrupted or interrupted when I had gone back to the void. What was present though left me thinking, and giving me a rapidly solidifying theory. Taking a deep mental breath, I turn the switch back on.
This time when all the data and information starts coming in, I quickly flick off the cameras and microphones and such to deal with that first. Now more like dealing with a normal flashbang compared to several going off both around me and in my mind, I am able to take in the remaining data and information. Like I thought, a lot of it was corrupted and incomplete- with more quite probably completely lost. There was enough though to piece together what was happening and what my situation was.
I was an Artificial Intelligence now- specifically a prototype. From what I could read, I was apparently meant for the frontlines of a large war going on- coordinating both units in the field and a variety of logistics and communications, which led to my 'name'. Project Conductor, which was a bit on the nose but fitting.
I had been a creation of a company called Digital Dawn Enterprises, with a bit of information present telling me that it had been a joint project between them and the military. It was a pretty advanced-looking model too, with it lacking a lot of the characteristics that were more advanced or outright different from the technology available. That felt odd to me though, as at least a couple parts I was looking at I knew had more advanced equivalents out there, and I wasn't even knowledgeable about this kind of stuff. Well, not knowledgeable with technology as I knew it, apparently I now had a decent understanding here.
Anyways, as I look over this information, I breath a sigh of relief at the fact that despite not being meant to, I at least still had my emotions and morals in some capacity, thank fuck for that. Of course I already knew that as I experienced a multitude of them throughout the last… 15 minutes? Wow time flies by. Back to my situation, I had been in a sort of 'standby' mode- a sort of limbo between the present awareness and full on sleep mode, for over 200 years. As for the reason for that, apparently some sort of EMP and resulting physical damage had knocked me into this mode, inherent protections preventing a full shut-down or frying of my systems- yet also requiring manual input to bring me back online in full. While the protected labs of wherever I had been built at were likely safe enough from even that, I was apparently boxed up on a train and thus exposed.
After that, the task of figuring out just where I was became easy. A few more referencing points, along with notes involving my usefulness against the 'Chinese menace' and some bits involving cooperation with a couple other companies- namely RobCo and Future-Tec, told me that this was the world of Fallout, and definitely post-war.
Dammit! While a favorite series of mine, Fallout certainly wasn't something that I wanted to actually live in, and I wasn't too sure how to feel about my new self in relation to that. It would at least mean that the Brotherhood of Steel were likely enemies should they discover my nature.
Moving on from that, I leave the rest of the data and information for a bit later as I turn my attention to the shut-down cameras. After a moment of mental preparation I turn one on, only to mentally and digitally reel back a bit as it sputtered and glitched before dying in full. After rolling my eyes, I go to another one- thankfully that this one worked, and was one that was where my main 'body' was too! It showed the inside of the traincar I was in- the device taking up a full half of the space with a couple terminal stations and bits of equipment filling the rest. The wall opposite of the equipment was slightly crumpled, likely from an impact. Slumped over one of the terminals was a skeleton- a worm and torn engineering jumpsuit over it. It's skull was dented in facing the terminal- a corner of it stained with old blood. On the wall nearby was another skeleton slumped over- this one with a pistol in hand and an empty Rad-X container right next to him.
Going through the other cameras, two more glitch out and break while a third doesn't even get that far and stays off. I am however able to connect to six other standalone cameras, as well as four others attached to turrets installed on some of the train cars- thankfully having a connection to them. All in all it gave me a picture of the surrounding area.
The train that I had been in had indeed crashed- the front engine crumpled against the traincar of another train at the Railroad Switch station just up ahead. Around the station were over two dozen various traincars spilled out everywhere- my own having smashed into the one ahead as it partially derailed- saving my own from a similar fate. The ground surrounding the place was dry, with little vegetation save for some grasses and a few desert-bushes.
As I look around I note a good bit of activity at the site, although none Human. Patrolling around both the traincars and several vehicle wrecks on the nearby road were military robots- ones that I note with glee were on the 'network' that I was hosting; it being the reason why I could access some non-physically connected systems like the turrets and these robots.
Based off of that and what I could see on the cameras, I had operational access to a grand total of thirteen Mister Gutsies, three Mk I Sentry Bots, and two Assaultron bots- those two being stationed right by my car. Looking around I could see the remnants of other bots, including a derelict Mk II Sentry Bot, the larger kind seen in Fallout 4 and 76 as compared to the Mark I's in Fallout 3 and New Vegas. This, this I could work with.
Over by the station and other train was a different kind of activity. A good number of feral ghouls were in and around the location, either shambling around or remaining still- slumped over or lying on the ground. A bit confused as to why there were so many ghouls out here in the middle of seemingly nowhere, I get my answer when I look more see one of the traincars cracked open, radioactive waste barrels visible within, as well as a pool of goop from them below the crack. Between that and the engine of the train I was on seeming to have gone up in a nuclear explosion, it must've been enough to turn some of the people around into ghouls.
With that assessment done, I start going back through the data and programs I had on hand. For the later, a lot of it was stuff that would help me in war-related situations and such, although it seemed I was loaded with some basics for other stuff like programming and research, so I won't be starting from scratch there. Most of the remaining stuff is corrupted and fragmented to some extent, and what's present are simply notes on me and what I am.
With that done, I digitally sit back for a moment to think- looking through my cameras out into the real world. This… this was all crazy. This shit is stuff that existed in fiction, stuff that shouldn't actually happen. And yet it did, and to me too. How- no, why? Why me?
...I doubt that would be answered anytime soon. It's best to get up and move on, question and grieve later when I'm safe. Right now, I needed to figure out what to do. Clearing out the ghouls and finding out my location would certainly be a good start.
Commands are sent, and soon the first robots pause in their patrols, readying for combat against the creatures they've coexisted with for a couple centuries.
A/N: Alright, second chapter. Felt less good about this one, but it's satisfactory enough for now. It'll also serve as the end of the trio of instant-posts for this story, which I plan on updating more regularly now. Although on that front, college and other commitments may very well make regularly updating difficult, as mentioned in the Prologue's A/N.